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Eleventh thoracic vertebra: anatomy, location and function

The eleventh of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T11, which articulate with ribs. Supports the trunk, forms the posterior part of the rib cage by articulating with ribs, and protects the spinal cord.

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Highlighted in the model: Eleventh thoracic vertebra. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Eleventh thoracic vertebra at a glance

Also called
T11
What it is
The eleventh of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T11, which articulate with ribs.
Location
Lies at the thoracolumbar junction between T10 and T12.
Function
Supports the trunk, forms the posterior part of the rib cage by articulating with ribs, and protects the spinal cord.
Body system
Skeletal · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA10059 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Has a single complete costal facet on the body for rib 11, and none on its transverse process.
  • Rib 11 is a floating rib, with no attachment to the sternum.
  • Its spinous process is short and nearly horizontal, more like a lumbar one.

Structures next to the eleventh thoracic vertebra

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Eleventh thoracic vertebra (FMA10059). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.